More than a thousand farmers across Northern Ireland have taken to the streets to protest against a new UK inheritance tax law that they argue threatens the future of family farms. The protests, which include six simultaneous rallies across Northern Ireland, are being coordinated by the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and involve hundreds of tractors blocking roads in each of the affected counties. Demonstrations are also taking place across Britain.
The farmers are expressing their opposition to inheritance tax changes announced in the UK government’s most recent budget, set to take effect in April. Under the new law, for the first time, farmers will face a significant inheritance tax bill when passing land and other assets to the next generation. Previously, farmers were exempt from such taxes.
The new law allows a ten-year period to settle the tax, but many farmers are worried that their heirs will be forced to sell off land or assets in order to pay the bill, potentially making family farms financially unviable.
The UK government maintains that various exemptions will limit the impact to only the wealthiest landowners, but the UFU argues that the changes will affect many ordinary family farms, which are often passed down through generations.
John McLenaghen, the UFU’s deputy president, attended the rally in Derry and emphasized the grave concerns among farmers. “The fear is that some of the farm will have to be sold in order to pay the tax,” McLenaghen said. “It’s as simple as that, and that will make the farm unviable. And if you’re looking to pass the farm on, the next generation will work for nothing other than to just pay the tax. That’s not going to incentivize them to continue farming.”
Among those participating in the rally was 20-year-old Amy McCollum from Coleraine, who hopes to inherit her family’s farm. She expressed concern about the future, stating, “I’d like to keep the family tradition going, but it’d be so sad to have to give up just because the government can’t figure out a way to allow us to keep our land.”
James Purcell, a farmer from Limavady, attended the protest with his two-year-old son, Jack. He voiced his frustration with the proposed tax changes, saying, “We’re not selling the land to cash it in. We’re just passing it on to the next generation. So why should we be taxed for that?”
McLenaghen also pointed out that farmers are willing to pay tax on income, but he believes taxing family assets that hold no value unless sold is unfair. “It’s just really stupid, the way the government has brought this in,” he concluded.
The protests are expected to continue as farmers press for changes to the inheritance tax law.
